Getting More Value from All Highway Data
FHWA’s Current Initiatives and Future Plans
Presented at Data System Requirements and Gaps to Support Restructuring the National Surface Transportation Program ( Part 2) TRB 2011 Summer
Conference Boston, MA
Tianjia Tang, Ph.D., PEChief, Travel Monitoring and Surveys Division,
FHWA Office of Highway Policy InformationWashington, DC 20590
The New Thinking - Performance Management & Measurement
Performance Management of the Federal Highway Program is a systematic approach to making investment and strategic decisions using information about the condition and performance of the system and developing an approach to achieve a desired set of national goals
Performance Management
Agency Goal
Performance Measurement Matrix
Target Setting
Resource Allocation
Evaluate Progress and Products
Performance Management
Agency Goal
Performance Measurement Matrix
Target Setting
Resource Allocation
Evaluate Progress and Products
data
data
Our Thoughts on Data
Our data shall help us to establish and maintain a system where people can travel from one place to another safely, reliably, efficiently with affordability and sustainability.
Our Approach in Meeting Data Needs
Utilizing what we have effectively; and as the need arises, collect new data.
FHWA’s Infrastructure Data
Bridge: National Bridge Inventory (NBI)Roadway: Highway Performance and
Monitoring System (HPMS)
FHWA’s Traffic Data
Highway Performance and Monitoring System (HPMS)
Travel Monitoring and Analysis System (TMAS)
Vehicle Travel Information System – VTRIS (WIM – truck weight data)
Travel Time and Speed – All Interstates
FHWA’s Travel Behavior Data
National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) – why, how, and when we travel
FHWA’s Finance Data
The Fiscal Management Information System (FMIS) – tracking Federal-aid highway project at a project level
Highway Statistics – local, State and Federal expenditures on highways.
Other Transportation Data FHWA Has
•Licensed drivers•Registered vehicles•Fuel consumption•Freight ($ and tonnage)
What We Do Not Have Currently
Systematic linkages among all datasets in term of
1: Geo-spatial linkage2: Date and time linkage
What Data FHWA Currently Doesn't Have
•Long distance passenger travel origin destination data – travel behavior
•Future passenger travel demand data
Major FHWA Initiatives
1: Started a major initiative to develop linking mechanism among all data in terms of “geo-spatial location” and “time and date stamp.”
The goal:For any Federal-aid project, its location, specific
roadway link, is linked to operating and physical conditions, traffic data, investment time and date data, and $ amount information. The linkage shall enable pre/post and time series analysis without major data gathering effort.
Major FHWA Initiatives
2: Started a major initiative to develop a multimodal long distance passenger travel origin destination data.
The multimodal long distance OD data covers both the base year of 2008 and future year of 2040.
Major FHWA Initiatives
3: Currently is conducting a reassessment on finance data collection and processing.
4: Wrapping up VMT forecasting tools for both national and State level geography
Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS)• Informs thinking on the size &
composition of the Federal-aid highway program (C&P report etc.)
• Projects conditions and performance of highway system at alternative assumed levels of investment
• Estimates economically warranted level of investment
• HERS-ST, state-level version
HERS Data Issues•HPMS database
▫ under-represents off-system highways▫ITS features not reported
•Need to re-estimate vehicle operating cost equations using more recent data
•Current work to incorporate impacts of pavement maintenance (non-capital) expenditures
Economic Impact Analysis•FHWA now exploring tools for estimating
macroeconomic impacts of highway investments
•Models of the U.S. economy rely on input-output tables produced by BEA
•Own-account transportation remains a data challenge
National Highway Construction Cost Index•Recently replaced old FHWA Bid Price
Index•Relies on proprietary database •Potential for use in forecasting highway
construction costs
Using what data we have effectively
Requires fully understanding the data!
Thank you!
Tianjia Tang, Ph.D., PEChief, Travel Monitoring and Surveys Division,
FHWA Office of Highway Policy InformationWashington, DC 20590
Thank you!
David LuskinEconomist, Investment & Economic Analysis Team
FHWA Office of Highway Transportation Policy Studies,
Washington, DC 20590
